Thesis (Doctoral)--Université Paris III-Sorbonne nouvelle, Université de Szeged, littérature et civlisation françaises, 2001. / Includes bibliographical references and index.

Thesis (Doctoral)--Université Paris III-Sorbonne nouvelle, Université de Szeged, littérature et civlisation françaises, 2001. / Includes bibliographical references and index.

M. Tech. / My research, in support of my cultural practice approaches the notion of masquerade from the position of battered women who employ it socially as a vehicle that allows them to perform the traditionalist ‘happily-ever-after’ fantasy of marriage. I propose that their ‘masquerade’ functions as a performance of what they perceive they should be in the public domain, and as a defence against punishment in the private domain. Central to my research are interviews with battered women who masquerade socially, from a select group who have been battered for most of their married lives. In a response to these interviews, I refer to the prevalence of battery in South Africa and propose a psychological rationale for social masquerade in these particular battered women. As the masquerade of these women informs my art production I have included a discussion of alternative expressions of masquerade in the work of two artists, Tracey Rose and Cindy Sherman. This forms a counterpoint to the use of masquerade as explained in my own cultural practice, which highlights the importance of dress as an adjunct to communication and disguise.

Thesis (M.F.A.)--Rochester Institute of Technology, 2003. / Typescript. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 21-23).

Figures who turn their heads frontally and gaze outwards from Archaic Greek artworks look back at the viewer and destabilize the typical relationship between viewing subject and viewed object. These frontal characters were especially effective for viewers who encountered them during the Archaic period, when the profile perspective was conventional and vision was understood to be a tactile sense. Frontal-facing figures have often been interpreted as carrying protective power or having the ability to threaten the viewer with their attention. While some frontal figures are intimidating, frontality and the represented gazes it engenders do not provoke a single, universal reaction. Instead, these images’ interactions with ancient viewers were shaped by the type of frontal figure represented, the figure’s representational context, and the real context in which the figure was originally encountered. This dissertation takes a contextual approach to the study of Archaic frontal figures to arrive at a more nuanced understanding of their functions and effects. The frontal figures that are represented on vases made between 700 and 480 BCE are comprehensively examined. Frontal-facing characters that decorated temples in the same period are also considered. By inspecting each individual type of frontal figure in turn, we can better comprehend the differing responses the figures elicit, which include humor and horror in addition to terror. This project also examines how frontality was employed by innovative vase painters to create images that directly engage viewers and shape their viewing experiences. While a few figures were conventionally frontal in the Archaic period, the majority were represented frontally only by the most experimental artisans who were eager to surprise their viewers and distinguish their work from that of their colleagues. This investigation of Archaic frontality in multiple media demonstrates the power of the perspective in its original context and the inventiveness of the craftsmen who used it.

The diploma thesis "Celebritization of news service and journalism on Czech commercial TV channels" focuses on the growing trend of appointing celebrities as anchormen on news broadcasts. Entertainization and celebritization of news services raises the question of whether these patterns contribute to the professionalization or deprofessionalization of journalism. This work aims to examine the consequences of celebrity presence in newscasting because of the obvious changes in broadcaster representatives. Primarily, this analysis focuses on private channels (Prima, Nova, Barrandov) employing Czech celebrity as anchormen despite their lack of previous media experience or education in the field. The theoretical part introduces the requirements for TV presenters and elaborates on the terms "professionalization" and "celebritization". The methodological part clarifies the selection of presenters researched, as well as the chosen methods of analysis. The qualitative method is utilized to analyze the research portion of this thesis, which mainly addresses the linguistic aspect of the speakers' speech and their non-verbal communication.